100 Pontos por Robert Parker – Safra 2004

E cá estamos para trazer a lista dos vinhos perfeitos, claro que por Robert Parker, na Safra de 2004.

Neste ano a surpresa fica com a Espanha! Esta seleta lista possui somente 12 vinhos e, destes, 6 são espanhóis! Fica a dica de que a Safra de 2004, principalmente em Rioja, foi muito bacana!

Sempre lembrando que os preços listados são para o mercado dos Estados Unidos e em dólares americanos.

In Vino Veritas!

Gustavo Kauffman

100 Pontos por Robert Parker – Safra 2004

2004 Artadi Vina El Pison

A Tempranillo Dry Red Table wine from Rioja, Spain,

Review by

eRobertParker.com # , #189 (Jun 2010)

Rating: 100

Drink 2010 - 2050

Cost: $490

The 2004 El Pison stands out from its peers. It has a deeper color than the 2007 with a splendid nose that jumps from the glass. Notes of espresso, balsamic, Asian spices, pain grille, mineral, and black cherry lead to a velvety, mouth-filling, deep wine that effortlessly combines elegance with power. It should easily drink well for another 30-40 years. It simply does not get any better. No visit to Rioja would be complete without a visit to Artadi and maestro Juan Carlos Lopez de Lacalle. Artadi’s most recent releases are the 2007s which were reviewed in Issue 183. On this occasion, we sampled the promising 2009s from barrel in addition to the 4 vintages of the flagship Vina El Pison (all of which have been previously reviewed, the 1995 and 1998 by Robert Parker). The El Pison comes from a single Tempranillo vineyard planted in 1945 on pure limestone.

2004 Benjamin Romeo Contador

A Tempranillo Dry Red Table wine from Rioja, Spain,

Review by

eRobertParker.com # , #169 (Feb 2007)

Rating: 100

Drink 2007 - 2106

Cost: $349-$479

The 2004 Contador is even better than the 2003 if that is possible. More expressive aromatically (a characteristic of 2004) this wine is more tightly wound and backward than the 2003. Unlike the 2003 it demands a minimum of a decade of cellaring and could well last for 75-100 years if well stored. Collectors will have a blast tasting these two wines side-by-side.

2004 Bodegas Fernando Remirez de Ganuza Gran Reserva

A Proprietary Blend Dry Red Table wine from Rioja, Spain,

Review by

eRobertParker.com # , #189 (Jun 2010)

Rating: 100

Drink 2010 - 2060

Cost:

However, (surprise, surprise) even better is the 2004 Gran Reserva which has yet to be released. It spent 5 years in barrel before bottling. Purple/black in color with a surreal bouquet of kinky spice, truffle, mineral, and black fruit aromas, on the palate it is remarkably powerful, yet elegant. Mouth-filling, complex, and staggeringly rich, it has the balance to evolve for 15-20 years and should easily have a 50 year lifespan. Bodegas Fernando Remirez de Ganuza is one of Rioja’s benchmark estates. It encompasses about 132 acres located in four regions of Alava Rioja planted to approximately 90% Tempranillo and 10% Graciano. The winery itself is located in the village of Samaniego. Upon my arrival at the Bodega in May 2010, I discovered a surprise. In addition to a vertical tasting of all the Reservas, Senor Remirez had prepared a similar vertical of Trasnocho, a wine that has never been exported to the USA. With all due respect, the greatest vintages from Bodegas Fernando Remirez de Ganuza in my opinion are 2004 and 2001. Trasnocho is Fernando Remirez de Ganuza’s take on a more contemporary style.

2004 Chapoutier Ermitage l'Ermite Blanc

A Marsanne Dry White Table wine from , Hermitage, Northern Rhone, Rhone, France,

Review by Robert Parker

WA # , #170 (Apr 2007)

Rating: 100

Drink 2010 - 2027

Cost: $233-$362

A compelling, profoundly great wine is the 2004 Ermitage l’Ermite blanc. This is extremely limited in availability, but the light gold color offers up a liqueur of pears, wet rocks, and honey. Citrus oil, viscosity, extraordinary richness, and acidity make this wine (like all of these Ermitages, made from 100% old-vine Marsanne) just exquisite. There is nothing like these wines anywhere in the world, and the fact that the single vineyard Ermitages are aged in 100% new oak, yet show no trace of oak whatsoever is mind-boggling. This is exquisite wine that you either drink in its first 3-4 years or forget for two decades.

2004 Chapoutier Ermitage le Meal Blanc

A Marsanne Dry White Table wine from , Hermitage, Northern Rhone, Rhone, France,

Review by Robert Parker

WA # , #170 (Apr 2007)

Rating: 100

Drink -

Cost: $214-$315

The 2004 Ermitage Le Meal blanc (266 cases) is total perfection in the bottle. Of course, this is supposedly the vineyard that so impressed Thomas Jefferson when he visited Hermitage in the late 1700s. Boasting an amazing concentrated essence of licorice, minerals, acacia flowers, and buttery honey, the wine is viscous, super-thick, rich, and mind-blowingly intense. Having just had an utterly perfect bottle of DRC 1973 Montrachet, I couldn’t help but think that this wine may well be even younger at a similar age.

2004 Chris Ringland (formerly Three Rivers) Shiraz

A Syrah Dry Red Table wine from Barossa Valley, South Australia, Australia,

Review by

WA # , #186 (Dec 2009)

Rating: 100

Drink -

Cost:

The 2004 Chris Ringland Shiraz is from another top vintage. Like the other wines, it spent 42 months in new French oak. Aromas of scorched earth, pencil lead, espresso, black currant and blueberry lead to a dense, complex, youthful wine with layer upon layer of succulent fruit, impeccable balance, and a decade of aging potential. Chris Ringland is a relatively modest bloke who gives most of the credit for his extraordinary wines to his nearly 100 year old vineyard. He now has 21 vintages under his belt the results of which place him with Marcel Guigal, Gerard Chave, Christophe Baron, Manfred Krankl, and Michel Chapoutier as the international grandmasters of Syrah/Shiraz.

2004 Clos I Terrasses Clos Erasmus

A Dry Red Table wine from Priorat, Spain,

Review by

WA # , #169 (Feb 2007)

Rating: 100

Drink 2007 - 2022

Cost: $350

The 2004 Clos Erasmus is a blend of 75% Garnacha, 15% Syrah, and 10% Cabernet Sauvignon. The aromatic profile is similar but more expressive and soars from the glass. It is somehow richer, broader, and more sexy with amazing complexity and length. Think of your wildest fantasy coming true and you may be able to conjure up the pleasure this wine delivers now and will continue to deliver over the next 12-15 years.

2004 Hermann Donnhoff Oberhauser Brucke Riesling Eiswein A P #24

A Riesling Sweet White Dessert wine from Oberhausen, Pfalz, Germany,

Review by David Schildknecht

WA # , #161 (Oct 2005)

Rating: 100

Drink -

Cost:

As soon as I smelled the 2004 Oberhauser Brucke Riesling Eiswein A.P. #24 and tried to wrap my tongue and mind around it, I came to two vivid realizations. First and foremost, it inhabits an entirely different world from the extraordinary #23. Second, if it merely succeeds (and it will) in making a fool of me for trying to describe it let alone give it a rating, I shall count myself lucky that my soul has been spared. This is nothing you could call “Eiswein Trockenbeerenauslese” – although in earlier times that is how it would have been labeled – because there is no dried fruit character in evidence. Normally if the starting point for Eiswein were berries so tiny, healthy and ripe as were present on this occasion, the frost could only add a modest increment of additional concentration. But here, frost seems to have catapulted the wine into an orbit beyond the reach of our web of words. What we have here, prosaically put, is the most intense imaginable concentration of fresh, jellied and candied fruits, citrus, and mineral salts. If tasting the #23 was like swallowing an electric eel, this is like getting hooked up to a generator. That is not, however, to suggest that the experience is jarring. “Harmony” and “colloquy” suggest themselves to Donnhoff as we both grope to describe the remarkably dynamic, whirling, dancing interplay of flavors. “Don’t ask me how cold it was,” he says. “All I did was check the thermometer once to see that it was cold enough, then I got out of bed. The day before, the whole family had said, ‘so, we’ll pick everything, it’s all so beautiful’ ‘Mmm ? I think we’ll just wait,’ said I. ‘It could be that tomorrow we can do it again.’” I doubt I shall taste another Riesling like this, nor one better.

2004 Numanthia Termanthia

A Dry Red Table wine from Toro, Castilla Leon, Spain,

Review by

WA # , #169 (Feb 2007)

Rating: 100

Drink -

Cost: $399

Believe it or not, the 2004 Termanthia is even better than the Numanthia. From an 11 acre plot, 2600 feet above sea level, planted with 100+-year-old ungrafted vines, the yields were well under 1 ton of fruit per acre. The wine was barrel fermented and received the “200% new oak” treatment over 20 months before being bottled unfined and unfiltered. Opaque purple-colored, the wine has an awesome nose which is already multi-faceted. There are elements of pain grille, lead pencil, mineral, violets, blueberry and blackberry with just a bit more subtlety and nuance than its two colleagues. On the palate the wine is an infant developmentally with densely packed ripe fruit, sensational balance, and a seamlessness that must be tasted to be believed. It should age like a great vintage of Lafite or Latour and have at least a 50 year life span. If you have a soul, sell it to the devil for a few bottles of this extraordinary liquid. There are only 1500 bottles for the American market.

2004 Pingus

A Tempranillo Dry Red Table wine from Ribera Del Duero, Castilla Leon, Spain,

Review by

WA # , #189 (Jun 2010)

Rating: 100

Drink 2014 - 2044

Cost: $795-$2000

The 2004 Pingus is a glass-coating opaque purple/black color with a bouquet of Asian spices, incense, lavender, truffle, black cherry, and blackberry that soars from the glass. Dense, rich, and seamless, this is a complete, harmonious offering with no rough edges. It will continue to blossom for another 5-7 years and offer a drinking window extending from 2014 to 2044. Dominio de Pingus is located in the La Horra region of Ribera del Duero. Owner/winemaker, Peter Sisseck, an oenologist originally from Denmark, started the estate in 1995. There are currently 3 wines produced, Flor de Pingus, a single barrel cuvee called Amelia which began in 2003, and the flagship Pingus. In a normal vintage there are usually about 4000 cases of Flor de Pingus, 500 cases of Pingus, and 25 cases of Amelia. Flor de Pingus is sourced from a number of small parcels located in the La Horra zone. The vines are all over 35 years of age and have been farmed biodynamically since 2005.They are either owned or rented by Peter Sisseck, so Flor de Pingus always comes from the same pieces of ground. In that sense it is not a second wine but there is no question that is a very close approximation of Pingus at a fraction of the price. That makes it a relative bargain in the scheme of things. The wine is 100% Tempranillo typically aged for 14 months in new French barriques. The first vintage of Pingus was in 1995. The estate has been biodynamically farmed since 2000 and, according to Sisseck, has never been treated with fertilizer or pesticides. The Pingus vines are all at least 65 years of age and yields are typically under 1 ton per acre. The wines, made from 100% Tempranillo, are bottled without fining or filtration.

2004 Sine Qua Non Mr K The Strawman Vin de Paille (Semillon)

A Semillon Sweet White Dessert wine from Santa Ynez Valley , Santa Barbara, Central Coast, California, USA,

Review by Robert Parker

WA # , #172 (Aug 2007)

Rating: 100

Drink -

Cost: $85

The monumental 2004 Mr. K. The Strawman, a Semillon Vin de Pays, possesses 9.9% alcohol and 310 grams per liter of residual sugar yet an amazing 7.6 grams per liter of acidity. An elixir of amazing proportions, there are 2,500 half bottles, which will be released in early 2008. Astounding notes of marmalade, creme brulee, and a liqueur of roasted nuts are accompanied by fabulous acidity, which provides uplift and vibrancy in spite of its enormous richness and unctuosity. The only thing I can say is you must taste it to believe it! I have no idea how long these sweeties will keep, but they should easily last for two decades or more. To reiterate, it is a challenge to analyze these wines. I know they are distinctive, and I think I am beginning to understand why they are so much greater than just about every other Syrah or Grenache-based wine in California. In short, it is talent and incredibly meticulous hard work. No one works as hard or is as maniacal about a vineyard’s viticulture and winemaking as Manfred Krankl. Take that, add in exceptional talent, humility, top-notch vineyards, and I believe I understand the fundamentals of why these wines are so special.

2004 Sine Qua Non Poker Face (Syrah)

A Syrah Dry Red Table wine from California, USA,

Review by Robert Parker

WA # , #172 (Aug 2007)

Rating: 100

Drink 2007 - 2022

Cost: $449-$585

The recently released 2004 Poker Face (96% Syrah, 2.5% Mourvedre, and 1.5% Viognier) comes from the Eleven Confessions, White Hawk, Alban, Bien Nacido, and Alta Mesa vineyards. Boasting classic blackberry, creme de cassis, charcoal, acacia flower, and subtle background toasty oak notes, it possesses a fabulous texture, beautiful richness and purity, and a finish that lasts nearly a minute. It is a wine of enormous richness, multiple dimensions, and unreal purity. Although approachable, it benefits from several hours of decanting, and should evolve for 15 or more years. To reiterate, it is a challenge to analyze these wines. I know they are distinctive, and I think I am beginning to understand why they are so much greater than just about every other Syrah or Grenache-based wine in California. In short, it is talent and incredibly meticulous hard work. No one works as hard or is as maniacal about a vineyard’s viticulture and winemaking as Manfred Krankl. Take that, add in exceptional talent, humility, top-notch vineyards, and I believe I understand the fundamentals of why these wines are so special.